State to develop domestic airport terminal at Kalyan

MUMBAI: A third airport on the city’s outskirts may soon be a reality, as the state government is considering an abandoned airstrip and 730-hectare plot in Kalyan

MUMBAI: A third airport on the city’s outskirts may soon be a reality, as the state government is considering an abandoned airstrip and 730-hectare plot in Kalyan to be developed as a domestic terminal.

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The move comes after it was found that the existing airports in Santacruz and Sahar have reached a point of saturation and may not be able to handle additional traffic till the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is operational, which is expected to happen only in 2020.

The city has an aerodrome at Juhu. However, it is only used by helicopters and chartered planes. It cannot be used for passenger flight operations, mainly due to its limited size.

The central government’s plan to boost regional airport connectivity by building 50 new airports at small towns in the next three years will substantially add to the existing load at Mumbai’s airports. As such, the state government wants to develop an additional airport immediately, to decrease the air traffic at the city airports, which cater to about 40 million passengers annually.

The proposed airport area falls in Naveli, Kalyan, and has an airstrip that was built by the Royal Air Force during World War II. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) looks after the airstrip, while the plot falls under the jurisdiction of the defence ministry.

“We expect a significant increase in Mumbai’s air traffic after airports are built at small towns under the regional airport connectivity plan. As the Navi Mumbai Airport is not expected to be ready soon, we need a new airport. Domestic flight operations can be held at Kalyan,” said Swadheen Kshatriya, chief secretary of the state.

According to officials close to the development, the proposed land can be used to operate small aircraft.